A method for manufacturing containers using plant fibers and bacterial fibers

Abstract

A method for manufacturing containers using plant fibers and bacterial fibers includes bacterial fiber cultivation and collection, leaf collection and cleaning, alkaline treatment, fiber softening, mixing and pulping, fiber molding, drying, and shaping and cutting. By combining plant fibers with bacterial fibers, this method enhances the strength of plant fibers while reducing the high costs associated with using bacterial fibers alone. The resulting product is highly biodegradable, preventing environmental burden and pollution. Furthermore, it helps reduce the costs traditionally associated with waste disposal.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a container formed from plant fibers and bacterial fibers, specifically a method for mixing plant fibers and bacterial fibers to make a vessel for holding items. [Previous Technology]

[0002] Currently, most containers on the market are made of plastic. Due to mature industrial technology, plastic containers can be produced quickly and at a low cost, and are convenient to carry. However, these containers still have two problems. First, they lack elasticity, making them susceptible to impacts that can easily penetrate the container's interior. If the contents are fragile, there is a risk of breakage. The second problem is their environmental impact; plastic products are difficult to decompose, and the pollution they cause after disposal has become a global concern. Although some plastic products are made of biodegradable plastic PLA… However, its decomposition conditions are relatively stringent, and recycling is difficult. Currently, incineration is still the main method, but it still causes environmental damage. The most common alternative to plastics is paper, but the raw material collection process involves afforestation, logging, peeling, slicing, and screening, which is relatively complex and troublesome, as shown in Figure 10. Moreover, its cost is easily affected by market fluctuations, and its cost is also a major issue for the manufacturing industry. With the rise of environmental awareness in various countries, many countries have begun to research new alternative products, hoping to solve the current problem of white pollution by developing container products made from different raw materials.

[0003] Containers made from plant fibers are a key area of ​​modern research and development, mainly because the raw materials for plant fibers are relatively easy to obtain. Even fallen leaves can be used to extract plant fibers, and products made from plant fibers are relatively environmentally friendly as they can be naturally decomposed by the environment. Although fallen leaves are generally treated as waste, they have potential reuse value. If fallen leaves are recycled to extract plant fibers for further development, not only can the cost of treating fallen leaf waste be reduced, but the cost of manufacturing processes can also be reduced. However, the drawback is that containers made solely from plant fibers do not have ideal structural strength and are prone to deformation under external forces.

[0004] In addition to containers made of plant fibers, there is currently a development direction based on bacterial fibers. Bacterial fibers are fibers produced by specific bacteria. Compared with plant fibers, they have stronger structural strength and water retention capacity. Bacterial fibers also have relatively good biodegradability and a smaller environmental burden. With the advancement of technology, bacterial fibers have been widely used in papermaking, daily necessities, food containers and other fields. Even so, products made solely from bacterial fibers still have a problem, namely, a large amount of bacterial fibers are required in the finished product manufacturing process to complete the product manufacturing. The cost of cultivating a large number of bacteria is not to be underestimated.

[0005] In view of this, how to reduce the high cost of containers made solely from bacterial fibers and how to solve the problem of insufficient structural strength when containers are made solely from plant fibers are the current key research directions. [Summary of the Invention]

[0006] The main objective of this invention is to reduce the manufacturing cost of containers by combining plant fibers and bacterial fibers, while achieving a more ideal structural strength. Simultaneously, the finished product maintains environmentally friendly characteristics, being decomposed by the natural environment without causing pollution. However, to achieve the above objectives and improve upon the shortcomings of conventional methods, this invention provides a method for manufacturing containers formed from plant fibers and bacterial fibers, comprising the following steps: Bacterial fiber cultivation and collection step: First, a culture tank is prepared, and then a culture solution is added for bacterial cultivation. After the bacteria in the culture solution metabolize and produce bacterial fibers, the bacterial fibers are removed and washed with deionized water; Leaf collection and cleaning step: After collecting multiple leaves, the branches are picked out, and... The process involves: 1) Removing dust and soil from the leaves with clean water; 2) Alkali treatment: The cleaned bacterial fibers are placed in a first solution for a second cleaning, while the cleaned leaves are placed in a second solution for pretreatment before cleaning to extract plant fibers; 3) Fiber softening: The bacterial fibers and plant fibers treated with alkali are softened separately; 4) Mixing and pulping: The softened plant fibers, bacterial fibers, and liquid are mixed and pulped; 5) Fiber molding: The pulp produced in the mixing and pulping step is poured into a molding mold; 6) Drying: The molding mold is dehydrated and dried; 7) Molding and cutting: The dried molding mold is opened to cut the finished product.

[0007] According to the technology defined above, the advantages of this invention are that bacterial fibers can strengthen the strength of plant fibers, so that the products made from them have better cushioning effect. Furthermore, by mixing plant fibers, the cost of manufacturing products using bacterial fibers as raw materials can be greatly reduced. Since both bacterial fibers and plant fibers have good biodegradability, they will not cause too much burden on the environment. Moreover, plant fibers can be extracted from fallen leaves commonly found in daily life. In addition to making raw material collection easier, it can also reduce the previous expenses in dealing with fallen leaf waste. It is evident that this invention is indeed practical and progressive, and is worthy of promotion in the industry.

Implementation Method

[0008] To clearly illustrate the above-mentioned objectives and effects achieved by the present invention, the features and effects of the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Please refer to Figures 1 to 9. The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a container formed from plant fibers and bacterial fibers, which includes the following steps: Bacterial fiber culture and collection step S1: First, a culture tank 11 is prepared, and then a culture solution 12 is added to it for bacterial 13 culture. The culture solution 12 is filled to between 50% and 70% of the culture tank 11 to facilitate gas exchange and stirring, so that the bacteria 13 can produce bacterial fibers 1 more quickly. The culture solution 12 used can be HS culture solution, sucrose culture solution, GYC culture solution, corn syrup culture solution, or Frater. The culture medium 12 is rich in carbon sources, which is conducive to the growth of bacteria 13. After the bacteria 13 in the culture medium 12 metabolize and produce bacterial cellulose 1, the bacterial cellulose 1 is removed and gently washed with deionized water to remove any visible culture medium 12 still attached to the bacterial cellulose 1. The so-called bacterial metabolism refers to the process by which bacteria 13 metabolize carbon sources, and bacterial cellulose 1 is produced in this process. When the carbon source enters the cell, it undergoes glycolysis, and part of it is converted into G6P. Some of these converted carbon sources will flow to energy metabolism, while the rest will be used for other purposes. The bacteria are converted into UDP-glucose, which undergoes dehydration and polymerization through the action of cellulase to form β-1,4-glucan chains. These chains then arrange themselves to form bacterial fibers 1. Leaf collection and cleaning step S2: After collecting multiple leaves 21, the branches 22 are picked out, and dust and soil are removed from each leaf 21 with clean water. Once the surface stains are no longer visible, proceed to the next step. Alkali treatment step S3: The cleaned bacterial fibers 1 are placed in the first solution 3 for a second cleaning for 30-60 minutes, followed by deionized water. Soak for 24 hours, changing the water 2-3 times during the process to ensure that any residual first solution 3 is completely removed. For the leaves 21, after washing, place each leaf 21 in the second solution 4 for pretreatment for 1-6 hours (depending on the reagent), then wash to extract plant fiber 2. Generally, this involves rinsing with running water for 1-4 hours to ensure that any residual second solution 4 is removed. Alkali treatment can remove residual bacteria 13 and culture medium 12 from the extracted bacterial fiber 1. For plant fiber 2, alkali treatment can remove non-plant fiber 2 components, improving the extraction process. The purity of the extracted plant fiber 2 is increased; Fiber softening step S4: The bacterial fiber 1 and the plant fiber 2 after the alkali treatment step are softened for 30 minutes to 2 hours respectively; Mixing and pulping step S5: The softened plant fiber 2 and bacterial fiber 1 are mixed with liquid and pulped; Fiber molding step S6: The pulp produced by the mixing and pulping step is poured into a molding mold; Drying step S7: The molding mold is taken to perform dehydration and drying operations; Molding and cutting step S8: The dried molding mold is opened to cut the finished product.The diagrams used in this document are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0009] This invention involves mixing plant fiber 2 and bacterial fiber 1 before manufacturing the container. The bacterial fiber 1 improves the structural strength of plant fiber 2, and the mixing of plant fiber 2 reduces the enormous cost of producing products solely from bacterial fiber 1. Before the mixing and pulping step S5, the cultivation, extraction, and pretreatment of plant fiber 2 and bacterial fiber 1 can be carried out simultaneously. During the bacterial fiber cultivation and collection step S1, nitrogen and oxygen supply equipment can be used to provide the nitrogen and oxygen needed for bacterial growth, enabling faster oxidation reactions to produce bacterial fiber 1. After extraction of bacterial fiber 1, since the pores of bacterial fiber 1 may contain culture medium 12 or residual bacteria 13, it needs to be washed and purified with deionized water to avoid poor purity and subsequent product defects. The leaf collection and cleaning step S2... First, the leaves 21 need to be collected, and the branches 22 should be removed. The surface dust and soil should be washed with clean water before proceeding to the next step. In the alkali treatment step S3, the bacterial fibers 1 are placed in the first solution 3 for a second cleaning to improve the purity of the bacterial fibers 1. The cleaned leaves 21 are placed in the second solution 4, and the plant fibers 2 can be extracted through alkali treatment. After both the plant fibers 2 and bacterial fibers 1 are extracted, the fiber softening step S4 is carried out to make the bacterial fibers 1 and plant fibers 2 soft and malleable. Then, the mixing and pulping step S5 is carried out to mix the two and add liquid to make a pulp. The liquid can be water or an organic solution. Then, the pulp produced in the mixing and pulping step is put into a molding mold for fiber molding step S6, drying step S7 and molding and cutting step S8. This yields a container with good structural strength, strong cushioning capacity, low production cost and more environmentally friendly properties, as shown in Figures 1 to 7.

[0010] Based on the above description, other technical features of the present invention will be further described below. In order to improve the collection speed and yield of bacterial fiber 1, the selected bacteria 13 is lignocera acetic acid bacteria, because it has a more powerful cellulose synthase complex. Compared with other bacteria 13, it can generate bacterial fiber 1 more effectively. The culture method includes static culture and dynamic stirring culture. In static culture, after the culture solution 12 is dropped into the culture tank 11, it is left to stand so that the bacteria 13 can grow naturally. After the bacteria 13 undergoes oxidation, a bacterial fiber 1 film will be generated on the surface. In dynamic stirring culture, after the culture solution 12 is dropped into the culture tank 11, the culture tank 11 is stirred or shaken so that the bacteria 13 can be suspended and grow and produce bacterial fiber 1 after metabolism. By using the two methods in parallel, the efficiency of extracting bacterial fiber 1 is improved, as shown in the third figure.

[0011] Furthermore, to ensure higher purity of the extracted bacterial fibers 1, the first solution 3 is alkaline, such as sodium hydroxide solution, in the alkaline treatment step. After the bacterial fibers 1 are placed in the first solution 3, they are cleaned using an ultrasonic cleaner 31. Since there may still be bacteria 13 that have not been completely removed from the pores of the bacterial fibers 1, ultrasonic cleaning with sodium hydroxide solution can effectively remove the residual bacteria 13. This is mainly because the cell wall component of bacteria 13 is mainly peptidoglycan, and sodium hydroxide can hydrolyze the amide bonds in peptidoglycan, destroying the cell wall structure. In addition, it can also interact with fine... The fatty acids in the cell wall undergo saponification, further weakening the cell wall's strength. Simultaneously, sodium hydroxide disrupts the hydrogen bonds of proteins in bacterial cells 13, degrades nucleic acids, and denatures and disables membrane proteins, leading to bacterial cell death and easier removal. Ultrasonic cleaning machine 31 generates bubbles 311, which can penetrate into pores to further enhance the cleaning effect, resulting in higher purity of bacterial fibers 1 after alkali treatment. After alkali treatment, the cells can be cleaned with water or dilute acid to avoid excessive sodium hydroxide action affecting the quality of bacterial fibers 1, as shown in Figure 5.

[0012] Continuing from the previous paragraph, the alkaline treatment step on leaf 21 is to effectively remove lignin and increase the purity of the extracted plant fiber 2. Therefore, the second solution 4 in which leaf 21 is placed is alkaline, such as sodium hydroxide solution or nitrite solution, or a mixture of sodium hydroxide and nitrite. Sodium hydroxide reacts with the carbon chains on lignin through a nucleophilic reaction of hydroxyl groups. This reaction breaks the lignin chains, resulting in low molecular weight lignin, which gradually dissolves. Nitrite reacts with lignin through a sulfonation reaction, introducing sulfonic acid groups to increase the hydrophilicity of lignin and dissolve it. The hemicellulose in leaf 21 can be decomposed and dissolved by sodium hydroxide, and the proteins in the leaf will denature and decompose upon contact with sodium hydroxide. Through the pretreatment with sodium hydroxide and nitrite, lignin, hemicellulose and other non-cellulose components in leaf 21 can be effectively decomposed. This process increases the purity of the extracted plant fiber 2. Heating can be used during the process to accelerate the degradation of lignin and hemicellulose. After the leaves 21 are treated with alkali, they can be washed with water or dilute acid to avoid excessive reaction of sodium hydroxide and nitrite, which would affect the quality of the plant fiber 2, as shown in Figure 5. After the leaves are treated with alkali in step S3, the extracted plant fiber 2 can be bleached with bleaching agent 7. Bleaching agent 7, such as sodium percarbonate, can further decompose the lignin remaining in the plant fiber 2, as shown in Figure 8. In addition to removing pigments, this process can also prevent residual lignin from being used to make products along with the plant fiber. Lignin will gradually oxidize over time, and if it is not completely removed, it will affect the durability of the product. After bleaching, it can be washed with water to prevent residual bleaching agent 7 from affecting subsequent processes.

[0013] In addition, in order to make the purified bacterial fiber 1 and plant fiber 2 easier to shape in subsequent processes, the fiber softening step can be acetic acid softening or heat softening. Since cellulose is a high molecular polymer, it has a high-density hydrogen bond network and a relatively rigid structure. Acetic acid 51 can partially dissolve or change the structure of cellulose. Acetic acid 51 molecules can enter the fiber interior to break hydrogen bonds and reduce the interaction force between fibers, thus making the fiber soft and malleable. The heat softening method is mainly because when heat source 52 is provided, water molecules can penetrate into the molecules between cellulose molecules and break hydrogen bonds, thereby making bacterial fiber 1 and plant fiber 2 soft, which is conducive to subsequent processing operations, as shown in Figures 6 and 7.

[0014] Alternatively, to obtain plant fiber 2 with higher purity, a lignin oxidation step can be added between the alkali treatment step and the fiber softening step. This step involves placing the washed plant fiber 2 in an alkaline environment and then adding an oxidizing agent 6 to further precipitate the residual lignin, thereby extracting plant fiber 2 with higher purity. The oxidizing agent 6 is generally hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide can decompose into highly active hydroxyl radicals in an alkaline environment. These radicals have strong oxidizing power and will attack the aromatic ring structure of lignin, causing the aromatic ring to oxidize and become unstable, thus opening the ring and generating small-molecule alcohols, quinones, or carboxylic acid compounds. These compounds are easily soluble and can be washed away from the plant fiber 2. The main structure of lignin also contains diethyl ether bonds, which hydrogen peroxide also oxidizes. The process involves breaking down lignin into smaller, water-soluble fragments. Furthermore, hydrogen peroxide can oxidize the hydroxyl or aldehyde groups of lignin, converting them into carboxylic acid groups, increasing the water solubility of lignin and making it easier to dissolve and remove from plant fiber 2. Moderate heating can be applied during this process to allow the hydrogen peroxide to decompose more quickly into highly reactive hydroxyl radicals. However, excessively high temperatures should be avoided to prevent the hydrogen peroxide from decomposing too quickly and affecting the removal of lignin. Compared to other commonly used oxidizing agents, such as sodium hypochlorite and chlorine dioxide, hydrogen peroxide is safer, more environmentally friendly, and relatively cheaper. After the lignin oxidation step, the extracted plant fiber 2 can be washed with water or a weak acid for 30-60 minutes to prevent excessive reaction of residual oxidizing agent 6, which could affect the quality of plant fiber 2, as shown in Figures 2 and 9.

[0015] In addition, in order to make the overall process more flexible and convenient, the drying method of the drying step S7 can be natural air drying, vacuum drying or oven drying. The operator can choose the more suitable drying method according to the weather environment and production cost considerations, so that the product after molding can be dried, so as to facilitate the subsequent molding and cutting step S8, as shown in the first figure.

[0016] In the extraction of plant fiber 2, compared with the previous process of collecting and extracting raw materials, which required a series of tedious procedures such as afforestation, logging, peeling, slicing and screening, the steps of collecting, picking and cleaning are obviously faster and simpler, and further save time and cost, as shown in Figure 10. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0017] Figure 1 is a flowchart of the present invention. Figure 2 is a flowchart of the present invention with the addition of a lignin oxidation step. Figure 3 is a flowchart of the bacterial fiber culture and collection step. Figure 4 is a flowchart of the leaf collection and cleaning step. Figure 5 is a flowchart of the alkali treatment step. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of softening fibers by heating. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of softening fibers by acetic acid. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of bleaching plant fibers. Figure 9 is a flowchart of the lignin oxidation step. Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a conventional plant fiber raw material collection process.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a container formed from plant fiber and bacterial fiber, comprising the following steps: Bacterial fiber culture and collection step: first, a culture tank is prepared, and then a culture solution is added for bacterial culture. After the bacteria in the culture solution metabolize and produce bacterial fiber, the bacterial fiber is removed and washed with deionized water; Leaf collection and cleaning step: after collecting multiple leaves, the branches are picked out, and the dust and soil on each leaf are removed with clean water; Alkali treatment step: the cleaned bacterial fiber is placed in a first solution for secondary cleaning, and the cleaned leaves are placed in a second solution for pretreatment, followed by cleaning to extract plant fiber; Fiber softening step: the bacterial fiber and plant fiber after the alkali treatment step are softened separately; Mixing and pulping step: the softened plant fiber, bacterial fiber and liquid are mixed and pulped; Fiber molding step: the pulp produced in the mixing and pulping step is poured into a molding mold; Drying step: the molding mold is dehydrated and dried; Molding and cutting step: the dried molding mold is opened and the finished product is cut.

2. The method for manufacturing a container formed from plant fibers and bacterial fibers as described in claim 1, wherein, The bacterial fiber culture and collection process includes both static culture and dynamic stirring culture.

3. The method for manufacturing a container formed from plant fibers and bacterial fibers as described in claim 1, wherein, In the bacterial fiber culture and collection step, the selected bacteria is *Acetobacter xylinum*.

4. The method for manufacturing a container formed from plant fibers and bacterial fibers as described in claim 1, wherein, In this alkaline treatment step, the first solution is a sodium hydroxide solution.

5. The method for manufacturing a container formed from plant fibers and bacterial fibers as described in claim 1, wherein, In this alkali treatment step, the second solution is a sodium hydroxide solution or a sodium nitrite solution.

6. The method for manufacturing a container formed from plant fibers and bacterial fibers as described in claim 1, wherein, In the alkali treatment step, after the bacterial fibers are placed in the first solution, they are cleaned with ultrasound to improve the purity of the bacterial fibers.

7. The method for manufacturing a container formed from plant fibers and bacterial fibers as described in claim 1, wherein, Between the alkali treatment step and the fiber softening step, a lignin oxidation step is further added: the washed plant fiber is placed in an alkaline environment and an oxidizing agent is added to further precipitate lignin.

8. The method for manufacturing a container formed from plant fibers and bacterial fibers as described in claim 7, wherein, The oxidizing agent is hydrogen peroxide.

9. The method for manufacturing a container formed from plant fibers and bacterial fibers as described in claim 1, wherein, In this fiber softening step, the softening method can be either heat softening or acetic acid softening.

10. The method for manufacturing a container formed from plant fibers and bacterial fibers as described in claim 1, wherein, In this drying step, the drying method can be natural air drying, vacuum drying, or oven drying.

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